Closing Time
by Bar-Ohki
Summary: After college and a few years on the job, Mamori encounters Hiruma, a famous NFL quarterback and old friend. He comes with plans, plays, tricks, and ultimately a proposal she can’t refuse.
1. Part 1

Author's Note: Because this is a far future fic characters have changed a little over the years, so there will be some minor OOCness. I hope to make this into a series of 3 very long chapters that total under 40 pages. This is also posted on my LiveJournal.

Disclaimer (this is the only time I'm going to bother with this): I don't own Eyeshield 21 or its characters.

Rating: T for swearing and mentions of mature topics. Rating may change.

Summary: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings' end." – from Closing Time by Supersonic. After college and a few years on the job, Mamori encounters Hiruma, a famous NFL quarterback and old friend. He comes with plans, plays, tricks, and ultimately a proposal she can't refuse.

Pairings: HiruMamo, others undecided at this point.

Warnings: Hiruma is a failed romantic.

Closing Time

"Isn't that guy in the NFL?" A girl from behind Mamori's seat at the café remarked. Mamori turned around to look at the young teen who was gazing dreamily to Mamori's right.

"Yeah, he's the quarterback for the Armadillos." The girl's friend added.

"Man, I'd love to be with him…." The first girl sighed, her mind still stuck in some imaginary world. Mamori followed the girl's gaze to take in someone she hadn't seen since high school: Hiruma Youichi.

After graduation, Hiruma had taken the first plane to America to begin his career in the NFL. Though he kept in contact with most of the Devil Bats via e-mail and the occasional phone call, he had fallen out of direct contact with Mamori when she moved into her college apartment. Mamori hadn't minded at the time, they had been pretty good friends in high school but the distance physically between them had slowly put distance in their relationship; she hardly even noticed his lack of a presence in her life.

Mamori found herself mildly surprised to see Hiruma in Japan; he was now an American citizen playing in NFL games, his life was there, not here. Physically Hiruma had gotten stronger and the last signs of boyhood had left his frame and his mind. His hair was still its usual bleached blond spiky mess, but it seemed shorter than she remembered. He was wearing a simple green dress shirt and blue jeans. Currently he was sitting at one of the tables, glancing around as if he was looking for something.

Finally Mamori's curiosity got the best of her and she decided she'd talk to him. Quickly she paid for her drink and picked up her things making it seem as if she was leaving. She walked over to Hiruma and stood beside him, making the high school girls from earlier gasp. Hiruma sensed there was someone standing next to him and turned to look up at the face of Anezaki Mamori.

Though Hiruma had seen some recent pictures of her (courtesy of Sena), he quickly realized they hadn't really captured what she looked like. Mamori's body had mostly finished developing in high school, so physically she hadn't changed much. The way she carried herself and the clothes she chose to wear had clearly marked her mental growth. Her hair was still stopped at her neck, but she had taken to putting a headband on to contain her bangs. Her clothes were fairly conservative: her shirt was a vibrant blue with a three fourths sleeve and a v-neck. She wore a simple brown skirt that went just past her knees. The effect of the attire made her look professional.

"My, my, if it isn't fucking mother." Hiruma gave her a bemused smirk as he watched her expression go from one of mild curiosity to mild annoyance.

"You haven't changed at all." Mamori huffed. "I suppose there's no point in talking to someone who won't bother with calling me by my name."

"Sit down." Hiruma invited her, casually waving his hand at the empty chair across from him. "I'll buy you a drink."

"I already had one." Mamori told him simply. "And I'm about to leave, I thought I'd say 'hi' before I ran off."

Hiruma frowned at this development, already there was a hitch in his plans and he had just managed to make matters worse. He had been sloppy falling into old habits, which when added with Mamori's new level maturity just didn't add up the way he'd hoped.

"I see." Hiruma said after a moment of silence. "Well, if you're busy right now, perhaps we could meet up later?"

"Pardon?" Mamori had not been expecting that.

"I'd like to catch up with you, is there an issue with that?" Hiruma quirked an eyebrow at her. He had managed to get her off balance which was good because it put him back in control of the situation.

"…I don't know, I'm a busy woman now." Mamori admitted; her time wasn't hers to freely give anymore.

"I'm going to be here until the end of the month." Hiruma told her as he stood up. "Here's a number you can reach me at, if you can find the time to talk to me."

Mamori took the business card from Hiruma. He picked up his brief case and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Mamori couldn't help but to ask before he got completely out of ear shot.

"My old stomping grounds." Hiruma answered her in English, waving his hand once as he disappeared into the crowd. Mamori looked after him, blinking a few times. Hiruma had grown up and gotten more mature it seemed, even if he still did call her names. Glancing down at the card told her that Hiruma was probably staying with Kurita (since it was Kurita's number on the card).

"High school, huh?" Mamori muttered to herself with a smile. She walked away from the café and headed towards another dull day at work.

Mamori had been hired as a personal secretary for the CEO of one of the biggest companies in Japan. The main reasons she had gotten that job were because of her reputation of keeping Hiruma in check and because of her looks. Her boss often had her at his side for the sake of eye candy, a fact Mamori knew all too well. Though the job paid extremely well, it consumed almost all of her time. The only break she got in her day was to go to the café every morning for a cup of coffee.

Upon arrival at work, Mamori was greeted with an unexpected surprise from her boss, Toshihiro Aki. Toshihiro was a middle-aged man, with a bald head, a heavy build, and a dorky mustache. He was wearing a navy suit today (as opposed to his ridiculously lame grey suit he was much more fond of). He seemed to be smug about something and that never bode well for Mamori.

"Toshihiro-sama?" Mamori approached her boss wearily.

"Oh! Anezaki-san! What perfect timing you have!" Toshihiro clapped his hands together. "I need your help right away."

"What is it, sir?" Mamori took a deep breath and steeled herself for a long and painful day.

"Remember that sports player from America I talked about?" Toshihiro waited for the usual 'yes sir' before continuing. "He's in Japan right now and said he'd be willing to negotiate some modeling for us!"

"Really?" Mamori was mildly surprised, usually her boss's attempts at trying to get Americans into their products failed spectacularly before they could be implamented. Now, Mamori's ideas to get American interest worked above expectations most of the time, which of course her boss usually wound up taking credit for. This modeling idea hadn't been hers, nor was she directly involved with it other than making sure Toshihiro showed up for all the right meetings to make it succeeded.

"Yes, we arranged a meeting this afternoon." Toshihiro was excited.

"Where and when?" Mamori asked, pulling out the PDA she used to keep her boss's schedule.

"Deimon Private High School around two o' clock this afternoon." Toshihiro answered, still having his smug moment.

"…Who is this person?" Mamori asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Hiruma Youichi, he plays American Football for the San Antonio Armadillos." Toshihiro answered, turning to look at Mamori and notice her annoyed expression for the first time. "Do you know him?"

"I went to high school with him, sir." Mamori answered. "He was a bit of a brat back then, that is all."

"Oh good! Why don't you see if you can take lunch with him to soften him up before our meeting?" Toshihiro's suggestion was predictable. Mamori often flirted with clients and potential business partners before they met with Toshihiro. On a few occasions she had pursued dates with a few of them and in only one case she had took one to bed. Though the tactic made Mamori feel unclean inside, it really did work and make her life in the days that followed easier.

There was a small, suspicious part of her that felt this whole situation was arranged and planned. Meeting up at the café and getting a contact card then coming to work to have two more meetings with him, one was at their high school. She could assume that set of events as purely incidental if it had been anyone but Hiruma Youichi, the master of manipulation.

"I'll see what I can do, sir." Mamori answered already making room for the meeting at Deimon this afternoon.

"Oh, he left me a contact number…. I think it's on my desk." Toshihiro told her.

"Toshihiro-sama, you have a board meeting downstairs in ten minutes." Mamori reminded him while she walked into his office to begin reorganizing his desk.

"Ack!" Toshihiro began to rush around and gather up his materials. Mamori ignored him as she searched around and found the note with Hiruma's number on it. This was a different number, belonging to a cell phone. With a sigh, Mamori picked up the phone and dialed.

It took him two rings to answer.

_"Hello?"_ Hiruma answered his phone talking over the background sounds that were associated with being on a train. Now that Mamori thought about it, it was quickest to take a train from the café to Deimon High School.

"Hello, is this a mister Hiruma Youichi?" Mamori used a slightly different voice and her secretary tone.

_"…How'd you get this number?"_ Hiruma accused her on the other end, having recognized her voice instantly. _"I didn't give you this number!"_

Mamori rolled her eyes. "I'm calling on behalf of Toshihiro Aki, Hiruma-san."

_"…So you work for him now, eh?"_ Hiruma was smirked on the other end, you could hear it in his voice.

"Toshihiro-sama was wondering if you had time for lunch before the meeting." Mamori kept professional and actively ignored Hiruma's responses.

_"Do you have time for lunch?"_ Hiruma asked her.

"That's not the answer to my question." Mamori reminded him dryly. Mentally she congratulated herself for not letting him get under her skin. "Do you need me to repeat it, Hiruma-san?"

_"…I don't take lunch with rich assholes."_ Hiruma told her blandly. _"On the other hand, I wouldn't mind taking lunch with an old friend."_

"The only condition I'd take lunch with you is if you're willing to take me to Catalunia and pay for it. [1]" Mamori told him, smirking. Catalunia was the most expensive restaurant in Tokyo and had a week-long reservation list. She guessed that he wouldn't have made plans to incorporate her choice of restaurant into his mind.

_"Hmm…."_ Hiruma smirked again. _"You're at your office right? I'll pick you up at 12:15."_

That's when Mamori remembered his threat notebook and his approximate yearly salary. She hung up the phone and sighed loudly, meeting up with Hiruma had not been her intention today.

"Well, did you get him?" Toshihiro asked her as he grabbed his last item.

"I'm going to be leaving at 12:15 for lunch with him." Mamori answered.

"Good, good!" Toshihiro ran out of the room.

The hours until 12:15 were spent working madly to assure that Toshihiro could operate without her for lunch, much to Mamori's annoyance. She finished her work at 12:13 and realized that two minutes was not enough time to get to the lobby. She sighed and silently hoped that Hiruma would not be too annoying if she was a little late.

"Anezaki, could you hold on a minute?" Isamu Kamiko, one of the other secretaries at the office, caught Mamori's attention. "I have a question."

"Please make it quick, Isamu-chan." Mamori never showed she was in a hurry, it didn't look good for her or for the company if she did.

"Does Toshihiro-sama have any free time before the 24th? People Magazine wants to interview him again." Isamu asked, her hand ready on her cell phone to call and arrange the interview. Mamori pulled out her PDA again and began to scroll through it. She looked around carefully, trying to find a suitable time.

"How long an interview?" Mamori asked as she continued to look through the dates in the PDA.

"I don't know, let me ask." Isamu pulled out her cell phone and dialed. After a long while she finally got a hold of someone who could tell her the details of the interview.

Mamori glanced at the clock, 30 seconds until 12:15.

"They want two hours and a picture." Isamu answered.

"…The 20th at 3 pm, here." Mamori told Isamu.

"Thank you!" Isamsu bowed and proceeded to tell the magazine the when and where of the interview.

When the clock read 12:15 the elevator Mamori had been walking towards dinged and the doors opened. Inside the elevator was Hiruma Youichi, now wearing a pair of black slacks, black dress coat, and a silk black button up shirt. He had undone the first few buttons and untucked the shirt from his pants. The way he carried himself was confident and mischievous.

"Surely you're not planning on wearing that to Catalunia." Hiruma commented as he observed that Mamori hadn't changed clothes since he saw her at the café that morning.

"I don't see what the problem is." Mamori answered him. Everyone else in the room was staring at them. The female employees recognized Hiruma as either a professional athlete that he was or as a sexy man with a lot of money. All of the male employees knew that Catalunia was the most expensive restaurant in town and that their boss couldn't afford to eat there very often, which is why Hiruma's causal comment about Mamori's clothes was shocking.

Hiruma set his hand in the elevator doorway before the mechanism could decide to close on him. "I suppose not having a mirror would be make you believe that. Come on, we don't have much time to get you into something nicer before the reservation."

"If you insist, Hiruma-san." Mamori maintained a professional aloofness with Hiruma as she walked past him into the elevator. Hiruma smirked once at the crowd of on lookers and pressed the lobby button. The elevator door promptly shut and the two were whisked down several hundred floors.

"How'd you get this job?" Hiruma asked her after some silence.

"Found it in the 'help wanted' ads." Mamori answered truthfully. "Toshihiro-sama wasn't nearly this big when I came on." She made no further move to talk, much to Hiruma's frustration.

"How long have you had this job?" Hiruma questioned again, hoping to keep some semblance of conversation going.

"Hmm, about six years now." Mamori had to think about it. She had been looking for work right after college and picked up this job. Her intention was to be a secretary temporarily, then get hired at a pre-school when a job for that popped up. But the pay for this was a lot greater and Toshihiro wouldn't let her quit.

"What happened to becoming a pre-school teacher?" Hiruma decided he'd ask a riskier question. He knew that Mamori's dream had been to become a pre-school teacher and he knew that she wasn't really happy with where she was at this point in her life either.

"I get paid more for this." It took Mamori a few moments to find a response. She didn't really like this job and she hated that she was stuck with it more. Having her broken dreams brought up so innocently reminded Mamori of how unhappy she was.

"Ah, I see." Hiruma could see that Mamori's mask was cracking, he chose to drop the matter. The elevator arrived at the lobby and the two exited the elevator and then the building. Just outside on the curb was a limonene.

"…Don't tell me you ordered this." Mamori gave Hiruma an exasperated look. Hiruma chose not to answer and instead looked at the driver's door where Tetsuma Jo stepped out. Tetsuma was wearing a black tuxedo and had a small smile on his face.

"Hello." Testuma greeted them pleasantly.

"Tetsuma-san!" Mamori gasped, having needed a minute to recognize the ex-wide receiver.

"I asked him for a ride." Hiruam answered her question. Tetsuma opened the back door of the limo and Riku and Kid stepped out. Kid still dressed like he was in an old western movie, except today he was dressed like one of the fine gentlemen instead of one of the gunman. Riku had grown out his hair and had pulled it back into a short pony tail to keep it fairly contained; on top of that the boy had grown another few inches and lost the last of his baby fat. Mamori was familiar with Riku's appearance, but Hiruma was not.

"You've grown." Hiruma commented, his eyebrows up in mild surprise.

"Heh, it happens." Riku chuckled. "Heya, Mamo-neechan."

"It's good to see you Rikkun." Mamori laughed. "You look dashing today, what's the occation?"

"It's my birthday." Kid admitted quietly after a while. "I hope you don't mind riding with us, where ever you're headed."

"Not at all." Mamori assured them with a smile.

"We're headed to Kima's [2]." Hiruma told them. "She doesn't have anything to wear to Catalunia."

"…How much money do you make again?" Kid couldn't help but to ask. Kima's was the biggest fashion designer in Tokyo.

"It varies a little with the amount of games I win," Hiruma admitted, "but I average about eight million US dollars."

"What do you do with that money?" Riku asked, amazed.

"Most of it rots in the bank." Hiruma shrugged. "I don't really have anything to spend it on most of the time."

"Why don't you donate some to charity?" Mamori asked Hiruma. She was not surprised to hear that he had a horde of money. Unless Hiruma had a reason to spend money, he just horded it under the premise he might need it later.

"Never know when you're going to be spending it." Hiruma smirked at her. "Let's get going." Mamori rolled her eyes and followed him into the limo. Kid, Riku and Tetsuma shared looks and got into the limo.

_=_=_=_=_

[1]- Catalunia is a province in north eastern Spain. I used to live there so I used that as my inspiration for the restaurant name. This restaurant is completely fictional.

[2]- Kima is a made up Japaenese-sounding name for an equally made-up Japanese fashion line.

Please leave a review!


	2. Part 2

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, I had three mid-terms and then a bunch of other things in real life to distract myself with. I warn you that you are in for some serious angst this chapter.

Closing Time

Like most limos, the interior was black leather. And like most black things, Hiruma looked right at home in it. Mamori rolled her eyes and sat down in a spot that was furthest away from him. Hiruma simply frowned at her behavior.

_'Things aren't going according to his plan,'_ Mamori observed as Riku and Kid climbed into the limo, _'whatever that plan is.'_ Riku sat down next to hear and Kid sat down between Hiruma and Riku. Hiruma's reaction was somewhat disappointing, all he did was blink a little longer than usual and let a smirk crawl onto his face.

"So how is the NFL?" Kid asked after Tetsuma had shut the door.

"The games are fun." Hiruma answered. "The political shit and gossip is annoying."

"I bet that is." Riku nodded sympathetically. "I hear about you at least once a day from my students." Mamori was a little startled by that. Riku was now a track and field coach as well as an English teacher for Yuuhi High School; he had several gossipers in his classes.

Hiruma rolled his eyes in response.

"…How many of those ladies are you actually sleeping with?" Riku asked, having heard that Hiruma had been accused of sleeping with at least 40 different women.

"None." Hiruma answered, looking bored.

"The paparazzi in America is really something, huh?" Kid chuckled, having heard similar rumors from his secretaries. Kid had inherited both his father's fortune and business.

Hiruma yawned loudly, looking even more bored than he had before. The limo fell into an awkward silence.

"So, how's your team doing, Rikkun?" Mamori asked, changing the subject.

"Well, we just had this new kid join!" Riku paused then blushed with a little embarrassment. "I can't remember his name, but he's a lot of like Sena."

"You mean short, spineless, and wicked fast?" Hiruma asked with a smirk.

"Hiruma." Mamori told him warningly.

"…Yeah, like that." Riku told Hiruma quickly, but his response fell on deaf ears. Hiruma was glaring pointedly at Mamori.

"Do you still think I can't take care of myself after all these years?" Hiruma asked her pointedly. Mamori shut her mouth and chose not to respond. She it was her fault for falling into old habits around him. They were 28 now and lived separate, successful lives; her scolding now just sounded childish now.

_'I suppose he's already done growing into whatever man he's chosen to be.'_ Mamori looked to the side.

"Looks like you're still good at killing conversations." Kid observed, looking at Hiruma. "Now, I don't want to sit in silence for the rest of this ride, so why don't you start a topic that you don't plan to kill?"

"How's the football scene here in Japan?" Hiruma asked the car. "I haven't been able to pay much attention."

"Well, Yuuhi still has a terrible football team," Riku admitted with a sigh, "Zokugaku's now the powerhouse of the Tokyo area."

"What happened to Seibu and Oujou?" Hiruma couldn't help but to wonder.

"Seibu was closed." Kid answered. Hiruma nodded at this, his expression thoughtful.

"Oujou's an average team, as is Deimon." Riku answered. "Koigahama's improved a lot in the last two years, they have a good shot at willing the Fall Tournament this year."

"The fucking cupids!?" Hiruma laughed.

"They're the Valkyries now." Riku chuckled.

Hiruma snorted. "What a change!"

"Yeah, time changes everything." Kid chuckled.

"Hey, how's Sena doing?" Riku asked, innocently.

"Fucking shrimp? He's been nothing but a pain in the ass." Hiruma glared at nothing particular. "Do you know how hard he is to shut fucking down?"

"Its funny how you two wound up on different teams." Kid commented with a chuckle.

"Your sense of humor is as juvenile as your name." Hiruma glared at Kid.

"I guess that'd be because part of me refuses to grow up after all this time." Kid countered Hiruma's jab with ease.

Hiruma smiled at that and proceeded to look thoughtfully out the window.

"How are things with your work, Mamori?" Riku asked Mamori, trying to keep a conversation going.

"Pretty well." Mamori answered.

"Ah, we're here." Kid commented as the limo slowed to a stop. Hiruma chose to wait for Tetsuma to open the door before he climbed out of the car. Mamori came out right behind him.

"We have to get onto our destination now," Kid explained from inside the car, "when should Tetsuma be back here for you two?"

"Thirty minutes." Hiruma answered.

"Back in thirty." Tetsuma commented then shut the passenger door. The ex-receiver made short work of getting back in and driving off.

"Where were they headed?" Mamori couldn't help but to wonder.

"Kid's birthday party." Hiruma answered after he reached the door to Kima's. "Are you coming?"

Mamori rolled her eyes and followed Hiruma into the store. You could tell this was a fancy store, the front door was locked and had to be unlocked by the clerks inside before the costumer could come in. Mamori felt very self-conscious and underdressed as she walked into the store. One of the clerks came over and frowned at her.

"Can I help you?" The man asked Hiruma while he looked straight at Mamori's clothes.

"My lady-friend here needs to be outfitted." Hiruma told the clerk bluntly. "Something that matches me, of course." For the first time in their short conversation the clerk took a moment to look at Hiruma.

"…Please come this way, ma'am." The clerk directed Mamori into the back of the store. Mamori looked around at the various colors and fabrics of dresses she saw. Everything was so perfect, so expensive looking. Hiruma trailed behind them, looking around with a slightly bored expression.

"I'm taking your measurements, please hold still." The clerk warned her as he brandished a measuring tape. Mamori said nothing and let herself be measured up. She dully noted that Hiruma wasn't even watching, instead he was messing with his cell phone, frowning at the device.

"I didn't know you had a cell phone with coverage in Japan…." Mamori commented after the clerk left to go gather a selection for her.

"Ke ke ke!" Hiruma cackled under his breath. "Then you don't know me as well as you once did." Mamori was startled by his tone more than his observation; Hiruma's voice had the smallest hint of disappointment in it. It made her wonder what he had been expecting and much more importantly, what he was planning.

"So you're admitting that I once knew you well?" Mamori raised an eyebrow in slight disbelief.

"Maybe I am." Hiruma chuckled and shut his cell phone. He looked up and saw that the clerk had returned with a handful of dresses on the rack. Mamori looked over each dress, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She got a glimpse at one of the price tags, it wasn't pretty.

"Are any of these to your liking, ma'am?" The clerk asked her, a concerned frown on his face.

"Umm-!" Mamori didn't know what to say, she hadn't been intending to buy a designer dress today.

"Why don't you try the red one on?" Hiruma suggested, having been watching her intently the entire time.

"You have a good eye sir!" The clerk exclaimed. "Indeed, I recommend this red dress as well. I believe it matches your features best."

"…Okay, I'll try it on." Mamori sighed in defeat, the clerk had puppy-dog eyes.

"The dressing rooms are this way, ma'am." The clerk carefully took the red dress off the rack and led Mamori over to a hallway. There were several women and men standing around, ready to help patrons try on their new clothes. Mamori made eye contact with one of the ladies, who followed her quietly into the dressing room proper.

Getting into the dress only required a little help with the zipper, much to Mamori's relief. She found herself staring in the mirror at the expensive dress she was wearing. It was a silk, form-fitting dress. It's two straps had little ruffles coming off the sides to complement the ruffles coming off the bottom. It was a v-neck, cutting much lower than her shirt had.

In short, the dress looked smashing on her.

"I presume you will be purchasing this, ma'am?" The lady helper inquired.

"Er, the man I came in with is buying it for me." Mamori corrected her. Answering had made Mamori faintly ponder what her relationship was with Hiruma.

"Very well then," the woman nodded once, "would you like to show your companion before he buys it?"

"…Yes." Mamori supposed Hiruma had a right to see what he was going to be buying before he bought it. The lady quickly folded up the clothes Mamori had been wearing and led Mamori back to where Hiruma was waiting.

Hiruma's eyebrows shot up in what appeared to mild surprise. He had known the dress was going to look good on Mamori, but not nearly as good as it actually did.

"That's the one." Hiruma told the clerk very a-matter-a-factly. "How much?" The clerk named the price and Hiruma wrote him a check. Just as he finished penning his signature, Mamori had come within speaking distance.

"I see." Mamori commented dryly as she watched Hiruma hand the clerk the check.

"She'll be wearing it out." Hiruma told the clerk.

"Allow me to remove the tag." The clerk walked over and untied the price tag from the zipper of Mamori's dress. During this time Hiruma got a good look at the back of the dress. It was low in the back, with beaded embroidery down the sides.

"Thank you for your patronage." The clerk and the lady bowed.

"Come on." Hiruma grabbed Mamori's hand and lead her out of the store and onto the street before she could protest.

"…Why are you doing this?" Mamori demanded when they reached the curb.

"…Isn't this what you wanted?" Hiruma gave her a confused look.

"What do you-?" Mamori's question was cut off by the arrival of Testuma and the limo.

"Catalunia, right?" Tetsuma confirmed as he opened the passenger's door for them.

"Yes." Hiruma nodded and climbed into the limo, ignoring the fact that Mamori had begun to ask a question. Mamori rolled her eyes and climbed in after him. Tetsuma shut the door, settling the two into silence.

"...Why are you here in Japan?" Mamori asked Hiruma suddenly. "The real reason, not this whole business shit you're pulling with my boss."

"Vacation." Hiruma answered simply.

"A vacation?" Mamori stared at him in disbelief. "You could have gone to France for a vacation!"

"I don't speak French." Hiruma pointed out.

"As if that would have really stopped you." Mamori gave him a look.

"No, it wouldn't have." Hiruma agreed.

"Seriously, why Japan?" Mamori was curious now.

Hiruma didn't answer right away. "…I wanted to see certain people face to face."

"Oh?" Mamori prompted when Hiruma didn't elaborate.

"Talking to fatty on the phone just isn't as interesting as talking to him in person." Hiruma admitted with a chuckle.

"Why are you staying at Kurita's anyways?" Mamori couldn't help but to wander.

"Fatty wanted me to." Hiruma answered.

"You're still good friends with Kurtia and Musashi, huh?" Mamori was a little thoughtful.

"Any reason I shouldn't be?" Hiruma asked her. "I wouldn't be in the NFL if it hadn't been for them."

"I suppose that's true." Mamori admitted.

"Do you still talk to Sara and Ako?" Hiruma asked even though he already knew the answer.

"…No." Mamori sighed.

"Do you talk to anyone from high school?" Hiruma couldn't help but to ask. He knew she has sprattic contact with the members of the American Football Club, but he didn't know the extent of that contact.

"Sena and Riku mainly." Mamori admitted after a while. "Occasionally Musashi and I have coffee in the morning."

"He didn't tell you I was coming to town." Hiruma observed.

"I haven't seen him in four months." Mamori admitted.

"…I see." Hiruma commented and allowed the limo to fall into silence. Mamori's isolation was worse than Hiruma had initially thought.

"Have you made any new friends in America?" Mamori asked, trying to escape the silence that had fallen over them.

"A few." Hiruma answered, actively choosing to be vague; he didn't want her to get depressed.

"That's good." Mamori had a small smile on her face. It reminded Hiruma of the smile she had worn at Sena's high school graduation. It was the last time the two had seen the each other in person.

_'Is she happy for me or is she proud of me?'_ Hiruma couldn't help but to wonder.

"We're here." Tetsuma announced in his usual monotone voice as he pulled the limo to a stop. Mamori glanced out the window at the enormous sky scrapper. Looking at the large building made her feel small and insignificant. She sighed and climbed out the limo behind Hiruma.

The quarterback turned slightly and offered her his arm, much to Mamori's surprise. She simply stared, not sure what to say. Hiruma nudged his elbow forward, trying to make his intent more clear since Mamori wasn't responding.

"When should I be back?" Tetsuma asked the two.

"Two hours." Hiruma turned to look Tetsuma in the eye. "If it's not inconvenient, I can get another ride."

Tetsuma nodded once, shut the door, and drove the limo away.

Hiruma turned back to Mamori and gave her a tired expression.

"Are you going to take it or not?" Hiruma almost growled at her in exasperation.

"I'm sorry." Mamori muttered. "I didn't expect you to really be offering me your arm."

"I'm not in high school anymore." Hiruma rolled his eyes at her, clearly annoyed. Mamori took his arm quickly, feeling stupid again. Why was Hiruma such a child in her mind, he'd already proven that he'd grown up.

"How often do you go here?" Hiruma asked as they walked into the lobby and made their way over to the elevator that lead to Catalunia proper.

"This will be my second time." Mamori admitted. Her first time had come about by similar circumstances to this one. She had been with a man whom her boss had told her to soften up. As the evening had progressed, Mamori found dinner over and herself spread out before the man on a hotel bed. Silently, Mamori prayed that this evening would not turn out the same.

"Second time?" Hiruma's eyebrows went up, to him this was news. "I thought your boss had dinners here more often than that.

"Not with me there." Mamori told Hiruma simply.

"Then how'd you come here a first time?" Hiruma's expression was one Mamori had not seen in a long time. It was the expression he wore when he had been caught off guard by an opposing team and was trying to find a hole in their formation. Mamori took in that expression and wondered how much Hiruma knew about her life. This was the first time something she had said caught him honestly by surprise by something she'd done.

"You don't know." Mamori observed.

"That's why I'm asking." Hiruma continued to try and puzzle out the circumstances.

"I don't feel like telling you." Mamori looked away from him. She was keeping the memories of the last time she was here under control, talking about them was the last thing she wanted.

Hiruma said nothing and frowned. Mamori was acting like most people did when they had a dark secret, he had years of blackmailing experience to confirm her current actions. On top of that, she was choosing to shut him out. This was making his plans still work harder and harder.

"Your reservation, sir?" The host asked when they stepped into the elevator.

Hiruma smirked and pulled out his treat notebook, opening it to a specific page automatically.

"A reservation for two under the name 'Hiruma Youichi'." Hiruma told the host with a large, menacing smirk. "It should have come in today."

The host paled at the sight of both the threat notebook and Hiruma's expression. Mamori identified the man as Satake Yohei, a former helper of the Devil Bats. The man scrambled, trying to find something amongst the myriad collection of papers on the desk.

"Ah, yes, here it is!" Satake held up a paper triumphantly. "You're right on time."

"Good." Hiruma commented, putting away the notebook.

"You still keep that thing around?" Mamori gave him an unimpressed look.

"It's handy." Hiruma smirked reminded her with a smirk.

"Only when you want to exploit others for yourself." Mamori frowned at him, making her disapproval clear as day.

"Would you rather have me bribe him?" Hiruma asked her.

"I would rather have you wait your turn like a normal person." Mamori answered.

Hiruma snorted. "This is coming from the person who wanted to come here today, not next week."

"Wait-!" Mamori was cut off by the elevator dinging, signaling their arrival.

"Kasumi will be leading you to your table this afternoon, may you please enjoy your stay here." Satake bowed as the doors opened and Hiruma whisked her out of the elevator. A woman, presumably Kasumi, appeared on their left and led the two to a table near the windows.

It was about the same place Mamori sat last time.

Kasumi pulled Mamori's chair away from the table as Hiruma released her from his arm. Mamori let herself be seated at the table. Hiruma sat himself much to the chagrin of Kasumi. Without letting Hiruma get to her, Kasumi laid out menus for the two of them.

"Nozomi-chan will be your waitress this afternoon, she'll be here shortly to take your drink orders." Kasumi bowed and disappeared.

Hiruma didn't say anything and pulled open his menu, quickly scanning it. Mamori sensed that there would be no more conversation at this point, opened up her menu looking over the selection carefully. She knew that she would not be getting any alcohol today, she couldn't risk it opening her tongue or her emotions.

"I've never been here before." Hiruma commented suddenly, not having bothered to pull down his menu to talk to her.

Mamori choose not to say anything, not being entirely sure what he was trying to do by saying that.

"…Are the house specials any good?" Hiruma asked her, referring to the custom mixed drinks on the menu.

"No clue." Mamori answered, not having ordered any of the strange concoctions the last time she was here. She had stuck with a good red wine, since that was simple and safe.

"Ah." Hiruma understood, some of the descriptions reminded him of instructions for making bombs, he decided he'd pick something safer. Shutting the menu with an audible snap, Hiruma looked over at Mamori as she pondered the menu. She concentrated on it with expressions he had seen her use when she looked over school work or strategy plans. The familiar expression comforted him; some things in a person will never change.

Mamori shut her menu and set it down in front of her. She met Hiruma's analysis gaze.

"Good afternoon, I am Nozomi, your waitress for today." Nozomi introduced herself, having appeared very discretely.

"I'd like a Bombay Sapphire, wet, up, with extra olives." Hiruma ordered with practiced ease [1]. Nozomi didn't blink at the drink order and merely wrote it down. She turned her gaze to Mamori.

"And for you, ma'am?" Nozomi asked.

"I just want a water to start with." Mamori answered.

"Would you like to hold onto the menu?" Nozomi asked her.

"No." Mamori handed the waitress the drink menu. Nozomi handed her a new menu, this one had food on it.

"I will be back within 15 minutes with your drinks." Nozomi bowed and walked away, quickly fading out into the restaurant.

"…What the heck did you just order?" Mamori couldn't help but to ask.

"A martini." Hiruma answered with a small smile.

"Oh." Mamori didn't really have much to say to that. A martini was very fitting drink for Hiruma's personality, especially a very specific one. She wasn't much of a martini drinker, so she had no idea how his drink particular martini differed from a normal one.

"Why didn't you order a drink?" Hiruma asked her, mildly curious.

"I don't drink when I'm working." Mamori answered very a matter a factly.

"You're working right now?" Hiruma cocked his head at her. Mamori opened her mouth, but then shut it, choosing not to say anything. Hiruma said nothing, understanding her meaning.

"Your boss asked you to join me for lunch." Hiruma didn't guess what had happened. "You didn't want to go, so you told me you'd only come if I took you to a place like this, huh?"

Mamori continued to say nothing.

"And here I thought I was going to have a nice lunch with an old friend." Hiruma leaned back into his chair, his expression unreadable.

"I'm sorry." Mamori looked away, knowing he understood everything.

"On top of that, you didn't really want to come here," Hiruma gestured around him, despite the fact that Mamori wasn't looking at him, "because this place has bad memories for you."

Mamori gasped and stared at him. She had not intended to be that transparent.

"Personally, I'd have rather gone to Devie's." Hiruma admitted to her [2]. "And spent the lunch hour chatting about what we've been doing in our lives since we were last in contact. I'm sure that would have been a more pleasant experience for both of us."

Mamori didn't say anything, feeling like she had both deceived Hiruma and let him down. She looked at the floor, unable to hold his gaze.

"And more importantly, you would have forgotten about working and just had a good time." Hiruma shut his eyes for a long blink.

"Sorry." Mamori muttered again.

"Why," Hiruma asked, "do you make yourself so unhappy?"

Mamori didn't have an answer for him.

_=_=_=_=_

[1] – I don't really know what this means exactly, but my father (who love martinis) always orders his this way.

[2] – If you look very carefully in the manga, the restaurant they are always eating at is called Devie's. I am presuming it is not unlike Denny's or Shari's.

Please leave a review!


	3. Part 3

Author's Note: Some minor nudity this chapter. Extra long, and extra late. One more part.

Closing Time

"You won't understand." Mamori told him after several minutes of oppressing silence in which Hiruma only gazed right through her. It was a weak comeback and both parties knew it.

"I probably won't." Hiruma admitted. "But I don't think you'd understand how frustrating it is to have every woman you stand next to be accused of sharing your bed."

Nozomi coughed politely, praying she hadn't just ruined the conversation. Mamori watched as the waitress set the martini in front of Hiruma. The glass in front of Hiruma completed the picture of the man he was. Hiruma was an observant man, with maturity he used whenever necessary and a calculating ruthlessness that came with being a quaterback in the bloody sport of football. A small v-shaped glass made Mamori remember that Hiruma was _dangerous_.

"We'll both take a pear salad, we have an appointment at two." Hiruma told Nozomi as he handed her his menu. The waitress nodded, wrote down the order and took Mamori's menu from her numb hands. Nozomi disappeared quickly, wanting to be away from the tension between the patrons.

"Why don't you start by telling me everything that happened to you since I lost your number in college." Hiruma ordered her; there was no question in his voice at all.

"…I moved into an apartment of my own." Mamori told him. "My cell phone and computer got broken in the move, so I lost all of my phone numbers."

Hiruma nodded, Sena had mentioned that.

"I never got yours," Mamori admitted, "at the time I didn't mind not having it, so I never bothered to pursue getting it."

"And it never occurred to you that perhaps I wanted to talk to you?" Hiruma couldn't help but to wonder.

"If you wanted to talk to me I thought you would get my number from Sena or something." Mamori was honest. "Two years later I graduated. I was looking for some work and applied for a part time secretary position for Toshihiro Aki. I found out when I arrived on the job the first day that it was full time work. I didn't mind, I was just looking for something to help pay off my loans and my rent while I waited for a real job."

"…Then you got caught up in your work and found yourself trapped and unable to quit." Hiruma summarized the rest of it easily.

"I'm not trap-!" Mamori protested.

"Then why haven't you quit?" Hiruma asked her. "This isn't what you wanted to do for a living and its making you unhappy. It's not like you to cling onto something that's dead."

"Toshihiro won't-!" Mamori was interrupted again.

"Bullshit." Hiruma told her. "He'll beg and whimper, but he can't stop you from putting a resignation letter on his desk."

"The company would-!" Mamori tried to make up another excuse.

"If the company couldn't survive without you, then it doesn't deserve to." Hiruma pointed out to her. "I'm sure Toshihiro can find someone to take your position, there are plenty of woman who actually like your job."

"…Toshihiro wouldn't let me get re-hired out of spite." Mamori pointed out. "He's got a lot of power and likes to keep things that he thinks are his."

"That may be true," Hiruma consented, "but Toshihiro has no power over you if you choose to move to another country."

"Are you saying I should move away from Japan?" Mamori stared at the proposition.

"I'm saying that you're not as trapped as you think you are." Hiruma was deadly serious. "In football, there is no such thing as a dead end nor a perfect player. There is always a weakness to be found in everything.

Mamori found herself drawn to his words, which didn't surprise her. Hiruma was a professional leader after all.

"Now, I admit that finding that weakness may cost several downs, hell, it can cost several games." Hiruma spoke from personal experience. "And sometimes when you find it your enemy chooses to rearrange themselves to protect that weakness. But you always get at least one shot at exploiting it."

"…It's just like you to use a football analogy." Mamori muttered with a dry laugh.

"I used a football analogy because I knew you'd understand it." Hiruma told her flatly. The two sat in silence until the arrival of their food. Mamori picked at her plate while Hiruma ate his salad with a healthy appetite.

"…You came to Japan to tell me how much I fucked up." Mamori realized out loud. Mamori had been aware that Hiruma had some sort of plan involving her and just now it all made sense.

"Not exactly," Hiruma corrected her as he took a small sip of his martini, "I came to Japan on vacation at Sena-kun's recommendation."

"What?" Mamori blinked, not expecting that.

"After our last game Sena-kun ran over to me and told me I should go to Japan on vacation, to avoid all paparazzi and all that shit." Hiruma explained. "He also told me I should see you while I was in the country."

"Sena told you to go see me?" Mamori blinked.

"I've been in town two weeks," Hiruma admitted, "and in that time I talked to everyone from high school except you at least two times."

"Everyone?" Mamori thought of the football club, she talked to them more frequently than anyone else, and even then she saw them once every six months or so.

"They all had something different to tell me about you." Hiruma wasn't bluffing. "And they all asked me if I knew what you were doing now."

"They were worried?" Mamori was startled by the news.

"No, they are waiting," Hiruma finished his martini, "waiting for the old Anezaki to wake up and join them on the field."

Hiruma stood up and threw some money on the table. "Don't keep us waiting anymore fucking manager or the game will start without you."

Hiruma walked away, leaving Mamori with her partly eaten salad and a wad of cash. Mamori counted the money and discovered that Hiruma had left enough for the meal, the tip, and a little extra. Mamori shut her eyes and thought to herself, what had she been doing all these years?

It was extremely obvious to Mamori that this isn't where she wanted to be; it hadn't been where she wanted to be for years. She didn't want this job where her life and time were no longer hers. She didn't want the large amount of money that was rotting in her bank accounts. She didn't want to be at this restaurant, sitting at this table and reliving horrible experiences.

Then, Mamori realized, she didn't have to, all she had to do was let go and leave. Standing up, Mamori felt lighter than she had in years. She pushed her chair in and walked away from that table, that life, and took her first steps forward in a long time. She was alone in the elevator on the way down, which gave her the peace of mind to choose her next actions.

_'I need to go home and change.'_ Mamori glanced down at the red dress Hiruma had got her, the red dress that she no longer needed. It would be a waste to throw it away, but what good was it going to do her?

"'Never know when you're going to be spending it.'" Mamori found herself quoting Hiruma. Though Hiruma had been talking about his large mass of money, some of which he just shamelessly spent on her, his ideal could be applied to other things as well. The dress was still useful to her, just not right now, so there was no need to throw it away.

The elevator arrived at the lobby, Mamori walked out of it quickly, not looking back. Once she exited the building she saw Tetsuma standing there on the sidewalk, waiting.

"Tetsuma!" Mamori looked at him, then recalled he had been driving her around all morning around. "Where's Hiruma?"

"Another appointment." Tetsuma answered.

"...Can you take me home?" Mamori asked the man.

"…Where do you live?" Tetsuma asked the one thing he needed to know. Mamori gave him her address. "Yes."

"Thank you." Mamori smiled at Tetsuma.

The drive to Mamori's apartment was uneventful.

"Is there anything else?" Tetsuma asked her as he helped her out of the limo.

"No, I'll be fine on my own. Thank you for driving me around today." Mamori bowed politely to Tetsuma.

"Thank Riku." Tetsuma told her as he got into the limo again. Before Mamori could ask what he meant, Tetsuma shut the door and drove off.

"Rikkun?" Mamori muttered, trying to figure out what the ex-receiver had meant. She shook her head and walked into her apartment. It was neat and orderly, as she liked to keep things, but as she walked around, she realized how empty it was. Her living room furniture hadn't had people on it since college and had spent the last few years collecting dust. Her walls were mostly bare, with the rare picture to disrupt them. All the pictures were from college or high school.

Upon entering her bedroom, Mamori thought about how alone she'd been these last few years. Without much difficulty Mamori shed her red dress and her underwear. She turned and looked at her nude body in the mirror.

She was paler than she had been in college. Her body still had graceful curves and her breasts were still as full and soft as they ever were. She looked a little gaunt on the edges, her job made getting regular meals difficult sometimes. She was not as strong as she had been in high school and she doubted she could keep up with Hiruma on a bicycle like she had done in high school. The hand she had ran down her body stopped just above her curls.

Though you could not see it, there had been a change in the part of her that lay just bellow Mamori's hand. The innocence that had once been there, the sacred virginity, was gone. Stolen by a greedy man, his innocent mask, and a lot of alcohol. Mamori dropped her hand and sighed, she had been prettier in college.

"I guess its time to be pretty again." Mamori announced to no one in particular. She found new underwear, ones that were not covered in lace and silk, and put it on. She continued to dress as if she was going to work out, putting on sweat pants and a red t-shirt. She brushed her hair and chose to not put her headband back on. Finding a pair of socks proved no difficulty, though finding her tennis shoes involved fetching a chair to get them out of her closet.

Afterwards Mamori grabbed her purse, her keys, and that blasted PDA she used to keep Toshihiro organized. She hadn't quit her job yet, so there was no reason for her to not take it. Upon reaching the street, Mamori nabbed a bus to the train station and took a train the rest of the way to Deimon High School.

During her train ride Mamori felt the nostalgia wash over her, remembering all the conversations she had had with Sara and Ako on this train. All the moments giggling and whispering about who was dating who returned to her. Mamori smiled remembering the happier, simpler times in her life.

"Deimon Station!" The conductor announced and the train doors whizzed open with a hiss. Mamori stepped onto the platform and made her way through the crowed station. Two blocks later she was walking through the gates of her high school. Her feet walked down the familiar path to the American Football Clubhouse.

The extremely gaudy sign Hiruma had Musashi build years ago was still there, though all the reds on it had long since faded into pinks. The neon had been battered over the years, Mamori wondered if it still worked. The actual building was still its disgusting shade of pastel green and the door still had the bullet scorch marks on it.

"-yeah I hear that Hiruma-sama will be here today- who are you?" A boy walked out of the clubhouse wearing football uniform number 7. The uniform design had gone back to the simpler uniforms the Devil Bats had started with, white and black sleeves, red jersey, white numbers and pants.

"I'm Anezaki Mamori, I used to be Deimon's manager when I went to school here." Mamori explained to the kid simply. "I'm meeting up with some of my teammates."

"Your teammates?" The boy asked, cocking his head. He was a small kid, with messy red hair and black eyes. Another boy, wearing uniform number 80, walked out from behind the first kid.

"Ah! You're in that picture!" 80 remarked pointing. "You know Monta-sama!"

"She knows Monta-sama!?" 7 turned and stared.

"Yes, and Hiruma-kun." Mamori chuckled watching the boys stare at her in awe. "They're the ones I'm meeting up with."

"No way!" Both 7 and 80 gasped.

"I bet they're on the field." Mamori chuckled and walked on by out to the football field. She had been right, all of the old Devil Bats were standing around, wearing more causal working clothes instead of football uniforms. Hiruma, notably, had changed his clothes and pulled a gun out into the open. Sena, on the other hand, looked like he had been on an airplane recently, and seemed to be almost falling asleep on his feet but he wore a content smile.

"Mamori-neechan!" Sena called out to her, waving and nearly falling over from overbalancing himself.

"Sena!" Monta caught the runningback before he had a confrontation with the dirt.

"Sena, are you alright?" Mamori called as she rushed over, her mothering instincts kicking back in.

"Already back to mothering?" Hiruma almost moaned.

"Mamori!" Kurita rushed over and pulled her into a large, warm hug. "It's been so long!" The lineman was crying.

"I hear you're finally quitting that shitty job." Juumonji commented, smiling. "That's the best news I've heard recently."

"Kurita, could you put me down?" Mamori asked, but she doubted he heard her over his own crying.

"You know, old man, you should fix their sign while you're here." Hiruma commented, already deciding to have a side conversation.

"Yeah, yeah." Musashi agreed in his usual causal manner.

Mamori's PDA buzzed with some sort of alert. Hiruma took this opportunity to pull it out of her pocket and look at it.

"Hiruma wait-!" Mamori reached out for the object but Hiruma just pulled it away from her.

"Hey, let's go fuck up this piece of shit." Hiruma suggested and started walking towards the southern goal post where they had, years ago, fucked up Jerry Rice. The rest of the Devil Bats followed him.

"Hiruma that's my PDA!" Mamori protested while Kurita carried her.

"Aren't you quitting your work?" Hiruma asked her. Mamori had made that choice and she realized he was right. She still needed to let go completely.

"…Give me the gun." Mamori held out her hand. Hiruma smirked and handed her his semi-automatic pistol. Hiruma tossed the PDA into the air and Mamori took aim and fired.

Bits of PDA fell to the ground, glittering in the sunlight beautifully. Upon hitting the ground they were immediately trampled by the old Devil Bats with Hiruma coming up the rear to set the bits on fire.

All and all Mamori found the ceremony very satisfactory.

_=_=_=_=_

End Part 3. One more to go.


	4. Part 4

Author's Note: 'Footer's' if you read the manga, specifically the Death March ark, you will notice that they eat at a place called 'Footer's' (which bares a remarkable resemblance to Hooters). This is the last part.

Closing Time

"What was the name of that restaurant we went to on the first night of the Death March?" Mamori asked the person on the other end of the phone as she opened her refrigerator to pull out some apple juice. "I kind of want to go there again, for the memories."

_"Footer's? You want to eat at Footer's."_ Hiruma's voice sounded somewhat unconvinced on the other end of the phone line. _"Are you sure you aren't developing Alzheimer's?"_

"Yes I am sure!" Mamori snapped at him, huffing. "I just want to go there again for memories' sake!"

_"Remind me what kind of restaurant it is."_ Hiruma demanded.

"Don't you remember?" Mamori sounded amused.

_"Of course I do!"_ Hiruma growled, annoyed. _"I need to be 100 percent certain _you_ recall what kind of restaurant it is."_

"If you don't want to go, all you have to do is say so." Mamori rolled her eyes.

_"I don't care what restaurant it is, you might."_ Hiruma remarked dryly. _"Your last choice of restaurant was particularly poor, I don't want a repeat."_

"They had pretty good hamburgers…." Mamori didn't bother trying to argue with Hiruma's point since it was the blunt truth. After quitting her job in Japan, Mamori's old boss had made her completely unemployable. So Mamori took Sena's advice and moved to America, specifically to San Antonito, Texas, the same city Hiruma happened to be living in. After Mamori had finished her immigration and move, she enrolled at the local college to get her teacher's certificate. Now that she was fairly established, she gave her old friend a call to arrange another lunch.

_"Please tell me you recall the waitresses."_ Hiruma didn't sound desperate, just exasperated.

"The waitresses were special?" Mamori blinked, not recalling the waitresses at all.

_"D-cups or lager, tight shirts, short shorts."_ Hiruma told her bluntly. _"It was Doburoku's idea."_

"Oh!" Mamori blushed a little bit, recalling the waitresses now and how remarkable it was that the team ignored them for the most part. They had all been much more interested in chatting with each other; Doburoku had been the only one interested in the waitresses.

_"Still want to go to Footer's?"_ Hiruma asked her as some mechanical noise started coming through the phone line along with his voice. Mamori correctly assumed that Hiruma was checking on his laundry.

"Do you know a better place?" Mamori asked him. "Do they have anything like a Devies out here?"

_"The food's not nearly as good."_ Hiruma remarked as he walked away from the machine noise. _"And I don't really want to hit a family-friendly place if I can avoid it."_

"Right." Mamori remembered Hiruma's paparazzi problem. It had gotten so bad that Hiruma had to be very particular about where he went in public so that he could minimalize the disturbance his presence caused.

_"…Come to think of it, Footer's isn't that bad a choice."_ Hiruma remarked after some thought. _"The cliental it attracts isn't interested in the other clients…."_

"As long as you don't spend the entire meal staring at waitresses I'm willing to go." Mamori decided she could put up with scantly clad waitresses if it meant a peaceful meal.

_"Tch. D-cups are disgusting."_ Hiruma scoffed.

"I didn't think you would, but you are a bachelor and supposed big time pervert…." Mamori teased Hiruma.

_"Do not remind me."_ Hiruma was deadly serious.

"Alright, alright, I'll see you tomorrow at twelve fifth-teen then?" Mamori wanted a confirmation.

_"I'm picking you up."_ Hiruma announced.

"We're not meeting at Footer's?" Mamori blinked, not expecting that.

_"You don't know where it is."_ Hiruma reminded her. _"And you don't have a car, how were you planning on getting there?"_

"…Hadn't got there yet." Mamori was blushing a little, feeling slightly stupid. "What kind of car do you have?"

_"A SAAB 95, red."_ [1] Hiruma answered simply.

"No Ferrari?" Mamori was mildly surprised.

_"Having one of those is just asking to get pulled over,"_ Hiruma commented, _"the fucking cops around here want autographs."_

"Let me guess, you don't have a mansion either." Mamori observed.

_"A four bedroom house is a mansion for one man."_ Hiruma chuckled.

"You have a four bedroom house?" Mamori blinked.

_"Its practical if you get guests like I do."_ Hiruma reminded her. Hiruma was often known for having the old Devil Bats come and visit him, having three guest bedrooms did make sense if you put international visitors into account.

"I suppose so." Mamori agreed.

_"How's your fucking apartment?"_ Hiruma asked. Earlier, when he had heard Mamori was moving to San Antonio, Hiruma had gone apartment hunting for her. He had paid all the lease fees and first month's rent for her so that she could move right in upon arriving in America. Of course, Mamori had written him a check and paid him back once she got her money exchanged and settled in American banks.

"It's really nice." Mamori smiled. "There's an excellent view of the park from my bedroom window and everyone's so quiet and courteous!"

What Mamori did not know was that Hiruma had a few words with the landlord about which of the available apartments Mamori would be moving into. And Hiruma had also had a few words with the current tenants, pulling out his Threat Notebook to get complete cooperation from all parties involved. Hiruma did not intend for Mamori to learn about that.

_"Good to hear."_ Hiruma sounded smug on the other end.

"You wouldn't have had something to do with that would you?" Mamori asked him, suspicious. Two of the people on her floor reminded her of some of the more Hiruma-weary people she knew in high school.

_"All I did was pay your fees and make sure your lease was properly processed."_ Hiruma was a master at lying, he sounded very convincing.

"Okay then." Mamori didn't sound convinced, this was Hiruma we were talking about here. She had recalled how very enthusiastic he had been when he volunteered to help her move; there had been that hint of mischief and evil in his eye that only came with him having an opportunity to use his Threat Notebook.

_"See you tomorrow then."_ Hiruma decided it was time to get off the phone.

"Okay then." Mamori waited until Hiruma hung up before doing so herself. Quickly Mamori looked around her new apartment. It was a single, with a small living room/kitchen and a personal bath. Mamori had been very happy to see that she had her own bathtub, a definite upgrade from the shower-only set up she had in Tokyo. Her walls were filled with pictures from high school, college, and from her last month in Japan. Mamori smiled as she looked over the picture of the old Devil Bats with the new Devil Bats outside of the clubhouse (Musashi had finished fixing the sign only an hour before). Monta and his fan, number 80, were both posing together, it was really cute.

Mamori's phone was ringing again, Sena was calling from Boston.

"Sena!" Mamori called into the phone, excited as she answered.

_"Mamori-neechan!"_ Sena greeted her with the same enthusiasm. _"Have you talked to Hiruma-san recently?"_

"Yeah, I was just on the phone with him," Mamori remarked as she gazed out her bedroom window, "he's doing fairly well, despite the paparazzi and all."

_"That's good to hear."_ Sena sounded sincerely revealed about something.

"Is there something Hiruma's doing that I should know?" Mamori couldn't help but to ask.

_"He's been really lonely,"_ Sena explained, _"outside of football, he doesn't have any real friends. But that's not a problem anymore! He has Mamori-neechan now!"_

Mamori recalled that Sena had been the one to tell Hiruma to come to Japan to rescue her from herself in the first place. Where the heck had Sena learned to manipulate situations like that?

"I suppose he does," Mamori consented, "we're meeting up for lunch tomorrow."

_"Really!?"_ Sena sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Well I'm settled in now and he's got some time off," Mamori remarked, "and I promised him I would, we never did catch up properly in Japan."

_"Ah."_ Sena had heard about the miserable excuse for a lunch the two of them had had in Japan from Musashi, who had heard it from Kurita, who had heard it directly from Hiruma when he came back to change his clothes, ranting about how horrible it had been. Normally Sena wouldn't trust information that had been telephoned like that, but Musashi and Kurita rarely lost anything in such an exchange. That probably had to do with the amount of time they had been friends, Sena and Monta didn't have any issues passing on information between the two of them either.

"So how's Boston right now?" Mamori asked.

_"Very wet."_ Sena told her slowly and bluntly. _"Very, very wet."_

"I feel kind of bad, it's such a beautiful day over here." Mamori smiled as she continued to soak up the sunshine.

_"Hiruma-san tells me the winters there are horrible."_ Sena commented off-handedly.

"Hiruma thinks winter anywhere is horrible." Mamori rolled her eyes. "You and I both know he has no tolerance for cold."

_"It's what he tells me."_ Sena chuckled.

"Say, have you talked to Suzuna-chan recently?" Mamori asked.

**-the next day, at 12:13, just outside of Mamori's apartment-**

Unlike the last time she had lunch with Hiruma, Mamori was able to be standing on the curb, waiting for him. She checked her watch, 12:14. Looking up, she saw a red car come into view. It was a sleek vehicle, with LED headlights and chrome trim. She saw Hiruma behind the windshield, he was wearing sunglasses and a ridiculous looking black cowboy hat. Mamori sincerely hoped that was not his choice of daily fashion.

With minimal maneuvering, Hiruma pulled the car gracefully up beside her on the curb and rolled down his window.

"Hat?" Mamori couldn't help but to ask.

"People don't think it's me if I'm wearing it." Hiruma answered simply. Anti-paparazzi protection gear, it was a good enough excuse. Mamori wordlessly walked around the car and got in on the passenger's side.

"I only wear it when I drive." Hiruma assured her as he rolled his window up.

"Where did you buy it?" Mamori couldn't help but to ask.

"Won it from a drunk playing poker." Hiruma answered with a large, mischievous smirk.

"Ah." Mamori decided not to pursue that topic. The car started making the chime airplanes did whenever there was an announcement. Mamori shot Hiruma a confused look.

"Car phone." Hiruma answered and pressed a button on the display. "Hello."

_"Heya, Youichi!"_ Some deep man's voice came out of the car stereo. _"Where the heck are you going?"_

"Lunch." Hiruma answered simply. "What the heck you want from me, Hanson?"

_"You didn't RSVP for Micky's birthday, I was wondering if you were coming."_ Hanson asked. Mamori found herself biting her tongue, trying to not blurt out the questions she now had.

"I told Micky I was going." Hiruma remarked, a small smirk on his face.

_"Ah, I didn't think to ask Micky."_ Hanson sounded sheepish.

"It's cool." Hiruma assured the other man.

_"Linda wants to know what you're getting him."_ Hanson explained after a few moments.

"A bike." Hiruma answered.

_"How expensive was this bike?"_ Hanson sounded a little hassled.

"It's better than K-Mart quality and not the fanciest thing out on the market either." Hiruma answered. "It's just a nice, sturdy bike suitable for a beginner."

_"Did you get him a helmet?"_ Hanson asked.

"No, Rick's getting him one." Hiruma answered. "I have no idea what kind of design's on it."

_"Probably fire, knowing Rick."_ Hanson chuckled.

"That's what I'd wager." Hiruma agreed.

_"Well, be seeing you next Saturday then!"_ Hanson sounded a little excited.

"See you then." Hiruma reached out and ended the call. He turned and faced Mamori. "Questions can wait until we get to Footer's."

"Fair enough." Mamori consented. "I didn't know you had a car phone though."

"Its one of the few numbers the fucking fan club hasn't gotten a hold of yet." Hiruma sighed and looked extra tired.

"It's horrible that they call you." Mamori glared at nothing in particular.

"They don't call, they text." Hiruma corrected her. "Which is why I've had to disable texting on my cell phone."

"That's why you didn't get my text when I came in!" Mamori realized. When she had arrived in America, she was supposed to contact Hiruma when she arrived at the airport. Of course, he hadn't gotten her text so she had wound up taking a taxi to her hotel instead of getting the ride he had promised.

"That would explain it." Hiruma sounded as though he already knew that.

"Is that the beach we played beach football on?" Mamori asked as she looked out the window and saw the beach.

"Yup." Hiruma answered her. "They're always trying to get me to announce when they have that fucking tournament every year."

"Do you?" Mamori couldn't help but to wonder.

"No."

"There a reason?" Mamori continued to be curious.

"I don't like getting sand in my clothes." Hiruma answered simply. "And beach football isn't my thing."

"That makes sense." Mamori held back a giggle at the clothes comment.

"We're here." Hiruma announced as the pulled the car into a parking spot and pulled off his hat and sunglasses. Mamori unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

"Is this a good car?" Mamori asked as she shut the door.

"It's extremely good in a wreck," Hiruma answered, "and drives like a dream."

"You don't strike me as the type that would want a super-safe car." Mamori commented.

"I'm paid based on physical performance," Hiruma reminded her, "the last thing I need is to get fucked up in some car accident."

"Ah." Mamori saw the reasoning.

"Besides, it has a bitching two-stage turbo." Hiruma grinned, obviously liking that feature.

"That's more like you." Mamori chuckled as they walked into the doors of Footer's.

"How many?" The hostess asked. Hiruma was right, big breasts, tight shirts, and short shorts.

"Two please." Mamori told the woman.

"This way." The hostess grabbed two menus and led them into a discrete booth on the side. She set the menus out.

"Sammy'll be with y'all in just a minute." The hostess assured them before she trotted off.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to y'all…." [2] Hiruma muttered. Mamori chuckled.

"Say, who was that Hanson guy?" Mamori asked, as she opened up her menu, flipping to the page with all the hamburgers.

"Hanson? He was a lineman when I first came onto the Armadillos." Hiruma answered. "He retired two years afterwards, but we still keep in touch."

"And who's Micky?" Mamori asked as well.

"My godson." Hiruma smirked as he watched Mamori's jaw drop.

"H-how!?" Mamori was flabbergasted.

"Linda, Hanson's wife, was pregnant when I joined the team." Hiruma explained. "I beat up some punks that were trying to mug her over by the stadium. Later that day I learned she was Hanson's wife."

"Ah, I see." Mamori nodded.

"And I was with her when she went into labor," Hiruma added, "drove her to the hospital too."

"That's why they made you the godfather then?" Mamori asked and Hiruma nodded.

"Which somehow made me a fucking babysitter as well." Hiruma rolled his eyes.

"Why was Linda concerned about the bicycle?" Mamori wondered. At that Hiruma smirked again.

"I am notorious for spending a lot of money on Micky." Hiruma explained. "Its one of the few indulgences I allow myself."

"You're trying to spoil him?!" Mamori gasped.

"No, I just buy the more fancy gift when I go shopping." Hiruma chuckled. "Linda's been on my case about that lately, it's annoying."

"I would be too if I was in her shoes!" Mamori glared at Hiruma.

"Micky's turning nine." Hiruma told Mamori before she could ask.

"What do they look like?" Mamori wanted to know. Hiruma reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. After flipping through several cards, Hiruma pulled out a photograph.

The picture was of a black family. The man, Hanson, was of a large build and had a huge, happy grin on his face. Linda was a chubby, petit woman. In front of both parents was a bulky-looking boy who had a hair style that resembled Hiruma's.

"I see where he got the hair cut inspiration." Mamori commented with a laugh.

"I did not encourage that." Hiruma admitted. "It was Linda's fault she made me take him to the hair parlor."

"I'm sure it was." Mamori chuckled. "I can't say I was expecting to hear that you are a godfather though."

"I wasn't expecting them to ask me." Hiruma admitted. "I accepted because I didn't think that saying 'no' was an option."

"If its anything like it is in Japan, I'm sure it's not." Mamori nodded.

"It turned out to be extremely useful though," Hiruma added, "gave the team respect for me, despite my age and heritage."

Though Hiruma had said it casually, Mamori realized that Hiruma must have had a hard time when he first joined the Armadillos. Most people who try out for the NFL are college-aged, Hiruma was fresh out of high school and Japanese on top of that.

"They really treasure family around here," Hiruma explained, "becoming a godfather made me family."

"…How do you feel about kids?" Mamori asked. Hiruma stared at her, confused. "I'm just curious, you didn't seem like you wanted anything to do with children in high school."

"That's because back then I did feel that way." Hiruma admitted. "…I grew up pretty fucked up, I didn't think I could be a proper father.... Micky showed me that I can actually do a good job."

Mamori smiled, sincerely happy to hear that Hiruma had gotten over his childhood. Micky seemed to have been a good influence on him.

Both Mamori and Hiruma jumped in their seats at the sound of a tray clattering to the ground, with glass shattering. Snapping their heads in the direction of the source of the noise, they found a teenager standing there, her hands posed to hold a tray that was now on the floor. The waitress had a stunned expression on her face and looked like she was seeing a ghost.

"Are you okay?" Mamori asked, eyeing the shattered glass all over the floor at the girl's feet.

"S-sorry!" The girl sputtered and looked as though she was about to start walking away. Hiruma leaped out of the booth and grabbed the girl's shoulders before she could start walking somewhere.

"Take a few deep breaths." Hiruma told her in a firm voice that left no room for argument. "Now scoot your left foot back a little."

The girl scooted her foot away from the glass.

"Now you can step away with your right foot." Hiruma released her and stood by her until she was clear of the glass. Without any further words, Hiruma walked back to the booth and sat back down again.

"Sorry." The girl muttered again.

"It's okay." Mamori assured the girl with a warm smile and a wave. The girl walked away from the mess, still a little unsteady on her feet.

"Fuck." Hiruma muttered putting his face in his hands and rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Hiruma-kun?" Mamori called to him, not sure how to interpret this behavior.

"That girl fucking dropped the tray because she recognized me." Hiruma told Mamori. Mamori shut her mouth, understanding the situation now. The male manager dashed out from the back with a trash can and a broom and began picked up the glass.

"…How often does this happen?" Mamori couldn't help but to ask.

"Every time." Hiruma answered tiredly. "It's only a matter of time before the paparazzi shows up."

"What?" Mamori blinked, not expecting that.

"The girl just went in back, she's probably going to get on her cell phone and contact one of her friends. She'll talk about how she saw me, freaked and dropped the tray. She might even brag about how I helped her out of the mess." Hiruma explained still looking tired. "The girl's friend will contact other friends until someone in that fucking fan club catches wind of it. Then they will contact the paparazzi."

"…How long do you think-?" Mamori asked.

"They won't enter the restaurant, but getting back to the car is going to be a bitch." Hiruma let out a long breath. "The actual time it takes varies, but they'll be here within half an hour."

"I'm so sorry about Sammy," the manager apologized, "I'll take your order right now."

"I want a cheeseburger with a side salad." Mamori ordered, surprising Hiruma.

"Anything to drink?" The manager asked.

"Hmm… a Coke." Mamori handed the manager the menu.

"Anything for you sir?" The manager turned his attention to Hiruma.

"…Same exact thing." Hiruma told the man and handed him the menu. "Could you make it quick?"

The manager was about to protest when he noticed the bills sticking out of Hiruma's menu.

"Yes." The manager answered and walked off.

"You just bribed him." Mamori gave Hiruma a flat look.

"The less time I'm in this fucking place the easier it's going to be to leave." Hiruma told Mamori flatly.

"Which table did we sit at last time?" Mamori decided to change the subject as she looked around the room.

"The one in the middle there, by the TV." Hiruma pointed at the table in question.

"Oh that's right, we watched the NFL game on the screen while we were waiting for desert…." Mamori remembered.

"San Antonio vs. Boston." Hiruma recalled the game. "It was a pretty horrible game, both teams made a lot of mistakes."

"Yeah, you and Kurita kept on pointing them out, really loudly." Mamori smiled. "The manager came out and yelled at us for being so loud."

"And one of the waitresses bumped into badly when picked up dishes and made him snort soda through his nose." Hiruma snickered at the memory.

"Oh god! It took forever to get the brothers to stop laughing!" Mamori moaned at the memory. "You were not helping at all."

"But it was funny!" Hiruma protested with a frown.

"It was mean." Mamori corrected him with a glare.

"The rest of the team laughs when they remember that, even badly," Hiruma pointed out, "you're the one that's lagging behind."

"Say, why did you order the same thing as me?" Mamori couldn't help but to wonder.

"Because it's what I wanted." Hiruma answered simply. "…I have a personal question for you."

"A personal question?" Mamori blinked slowly, stunned that Hiruma not only changed the topic quickly, but was asking permission.

"It's been bothering me for a while," Hiruma was somber, "what exactly happened the first time you went to Catalunia?"

Mamori didn't answer right away, the question itself shocking her and brining up all the horrible memories of that time. She realized, since the man she had been with was German, that Hiruma was probably only going to be able to learn the story from her.

"…Occasionally I was asked to take clients out to eat to 'soften' them up before they met with my old boss." Mamori explained. "…This man offered to take me to Catalunia and I accepted."

Hiruma nodded once, that was were his information trail went dead.

"Dinner was fine. But… now that I think about it, I might have had a little too much wine…." Mamori took a deep breath. "He offered to take me home and I accepted…."

"He didn't take you home." Hiruma concluded.

"A hotel." Mamori answered. "…It was horrible."

The two kept to their own thoughts until their food arrived. Mamori stared at the hamburger, no longer having the appetite to eat it.

"…I'm still a virgin." Hiruma commented off-handedly startling her. "So I'm probably not the best person to talk to about this."

"No, you're not." Mamori couldn't help but to wonder why Hiruma had never gotten around to having sex. Mamori had a few boyfriends in college and had had sex several times before the incident at Catalunia.

"How does a 28 year old football star go about not having any sex?" Mamori couldn't help but to wonder how that came about.

"Never could find anyone I wanted to do it with." Hiruma answered. "My fucking bastard only had one fucking thing right, that was that you only fuck someone you love."

"Ah." Mamori recalled that Hiruma didn't go to college and playing in the NFL had put getting a love life on hold. Mamori found a little bit of appetite and started eating.

"I wish you could play football and not be fucking famous in this fucking country." Hiruma growled, his frustration with the paparazzi evident. Mamori ate as much as she could stand as quickly as she could.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with problems…." Mamori muttered as she watched Hiruma finish his hamburger, glaring all the while.

"Everyone has fucking problems." Hiruma pointed out wisely.

"That's true I suppose." Mamori admitted. Hiruma made eye contact with the manager and the check was brought to them. Hiruma pulled out his wallet and paid in cash. Without needing any prompting, Mamori got out of the booth and followed Hiruma towards the exit.

"…It's worse than a game." Hiruma warned her and opened the door. The sound wave slammed into them, squeals and screams so loud that Mamori's ears popped. There were people, mainly young girls, standing as far as the eye could see. Hiruma's car was parked only 60 yards away, but it seemed impossible to get there through this mass of people.

Cameras were flashing too, causing Mamori to be somewhat dizzy from the sounds and the flashes. She grabbed Hiruma's arm to steady herself.

"…Fuck." Hiruma muttered knowing that Mamori had put them into a compromising position. The reporters with their cameras were having way too much fun with their picture taking now.

"Ungh!" Mamori muttered, pulling a hand up to shield her eyes.

"Who _is_ she!?" Was the general remark from the crowd, to them Mamori was some unknown face latching onto the arm of their idol. Hiruma opened his mouth to say something, but Mamori beat him to the punch.

"I'm his fucking girlfriend, now out of my way before I kill all of you!" Mamori screamed in a very Hiruma-like fashion. The crowd parted obediently, allowing Mamori and Hiruma a straight path to his car. Mamori pulled the slightly dumb-founded Hiruma along and got them both into the car and on the road without much trouble.

"…What the fuck was that?" Hiruma asked Mamori as he drove towards her apartment.

"I'm following a bit of Suzuna's advice," Mamori explained, "the reason the paparazzi is so fascinated with you is because you've given them something to speculate about. If you got yourself a girlfriend and didn't have any public romantic issues, you'll lose anything worth speculating over and fall out of interest."

"Fucking skates told you that?" Hiruma asked her, amazed.

"It was the same with Sena." Mamori answered simply.

"Now we're dating." Hiruma stated.

"In public yes, in private we can still be just friends." Mamori told him. "This isn't the first time you've used someone like this I'm sure."

"…I don't fuck around with dating unless I'm doing it all the way." Hiruma told Mamori flatly. "…So we're fucking dating."

"Okay, we're 'fucking' dating." Mamori agreed.

"Fuck." Hiruma muttered again, feeling like his life had been thrown into a new kind of chaos.

"I say we blame Sena," Mamori suggested, "he's the mastermind behind all of this."

"And fucking skates too," Hiruma added, "I'm sure she's the one that put these ideas in his fucking head."

They stopped on the curb outside Mamori's apartment.

"Why don't you come inside?" Mamori offered as she stepped out of the car. "I'll make coffee."

"…Sure, you make good coffee... fucking girlfriend." Hiruma remarked.

Mamori rolled her eyes. "Be glad I put up with you, Youichi-kun."

Something changed when the two stepped into Mamori's apartment. It wasn't anything that you could see or hear, it was simply something you felt. It was the feeling that something had ended….

And that something else had begun.

_=_=_=_=_

Please comment.

[1]- My mom just bought one of these. It doesn't look like it's a really fancy, super-high performance sporty kind of car, but it is one. I thought it would suit Hiruma.

[2]- This is the southern US, they say 'y'all'. Y'all means 'you all', its just what they say locally there.


End file.
